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NLA urges councils to clarify licensing rules

Published by Daniel Jones

The National Landlords Association (NLA) has revealed it has written to every local authority in the UK in a bid to clarify their stance on landlord licences.

Recent court rulings have set some guidelines on how councils should go about charging property owners for a licence that enables them to rent out homes. In particular, some issues regarding homes in multiple occupation had to be rectified.

Action was taken in court after three specific cases involving local authorities in England and their licensing demands on landlords. The NLA explained it has now been proved that some landlords may have been wrongly charged licensing fees.

What's more, they could be entitled to refunds, so it is important to act in the correct way to boost the chances of receiving money back.

Richard Lambert, chief executive officer at the NLA, said the private rented sector is valuable and enjoying a period of strength at the moment. Therefore, it is essential that landlords are in a position to work alongside local authorities to provide adequate and much-needed housing.

He went on to explain this has become difficult to achieve in recent times because some councils have made mistakes and acted unfairly when it comes to the issue of licensing for landlords.

"In light of these recent rulings we have asked local authorities to come clean about the level of fees they have charged private landlords ... In writing to all local authorities in England we're acknowledging the good working partnership many private landlords have with town halls, but making clear they should not be absorbing the costs of overcharging to support other council function," Mr Lambert stated.

People who are interested in taking the matter further can view a copy of the NLA's letter on its website, where they might find information on how to take a case further.

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